Carolina Hosts Virginia Thursday For ACC Battle

After two games on the road, the UNC women's basketball team (14-6 overall, 5-4 ACC) returns home Thursday to kick off a two-game homestand by hosting Virginia. Tipoff is 6 p.m. The teams are meeting for the second time this season, following a 65-47 Carolina win on Jan. 2.

The Tar Heels are in the midst of six games in a row in the Triangle: at NC State last Sunday, home games on Thursday and this Sunday, at Duke on Feb. 6 and then two more home games

By the Numbers
• All five UNC starters are scoring in double figures, led by junior Janelle Bailey with 14.9 points per game. A trio of senior guards is just behind, with Taylor Koenen averaging 14.5 ppg, Shayla Bennett 12.9 and Madinah Muhammad 12.7. Freshman Malu Tshitenge is scoring 10.7.
• UNC leads the ACC in assist/turnover ratio (1.27), with 300 assists and a league-low 236 turnovers. The Tar Heels rank second in turnover margin (+3.20) and third in offense (75.15 ppg), free throw percentage (.739), three-point percentage (.353) and assists (15 per game).
• UNC and Louisville are the only teams that rank in the ACC's top 10 in every statistical category.

Scouting the Cavaliers
Virginia comes into Thursday's game 8-12 overall and 3-6 in ACC play. The Cavaliers are coming off a 90-60 homecourt win over Notre Dame on Sunday.
UVa senior Jocelyn Willoughby leads the ACC in scoring at 19.4 points per game, 25th in the nation. Also averaging in double figures are freshman Shemera Williams, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Week, with 10.9 points per game and senior Dominique Toussaint with 10.0 points per game.
Willoughby is also the team's top rebounder with 7.7 boards per game.

UNC vs. Virginia
The Tar Heels and Cavaliers meet Thursday for the 88th time in a series that dates back to the 1975-76 season. UNC leads the series 53-34 and has won nine of the last 11 matchups, including this year's first meeting.
• In Charlottesville on Jan. 2, all five UNC starters scored in double figures as the Tar Heels won 65-47 in their first road game of the ACC schedule. Carolina pulled away with a 25-point second quarter and led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter. Janelle Bailey led UNC with 16 points, Madinah Muhammad had 11, and Shayla Bennett, Taylor Koenen and Malu Tshitenge scored 10 each.
• The two last met at Carmichael on Feb. 17, 2019, with UNC winning 70-53.

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Players Mentioned

Janelle Bailey

Shayla Bennett

Taylor Koenen

Madinah Muhammad

Malu Tshitenge